Katie's Adventures In Wonderland
by ADeclanFan
Summary: A fall down a hole results in a series of adventures for Dr. Katie Brown before she ever traveled to Atlantis.
1. Chapter 1

'

Why is it so dark?' That was her first thought. Katie was pretty sure her eyes were open, and touched her face to check. Yes, they were open. It was just that dark.

'Where am I?' This was was quickly followed by a puzzled, 'How did I get here?'

Something in the darkness moved. She heard the movement. And now that Katie was listening she could hear labored breathing. Her hands went automatically to the left chest pocket of her vest, where she always kept her flashlight.

It was still there, so she pulled it from it's pocket and blinded herself temporarily as she turned it on. Stupid stupid stupid. She chided herself for not covering the end of the flashlight and allowing her eyes to adjust to the light gradually the way the Major taught her.

Things were coming into focus. The flashlight's narrow beam cast long shadows on the stone walls of a cave. On the far side, curled in a fetal position against the wall was a man.

Part of her wanted to get up and go to him, but the cautious part of her brain held her back. Katie stared at him for a long time, debating. He wasn't dressed in BDU's like she was, so he wasn't one of her team or one of the second team who had accompanied her team to this planet to act as security for her plant gathering expedition.

His hair was dark, inky black with hints of gray at the temples. She couldn't see his face because his face was turned toward the cave wall. The stranger's breathing was steady, but didn't sound quite right. It was raspy.

Struggling to her feet made her aware of places with bruises, her shoulder throbbed unhappily but she could move it so it couldn't be dislocated. There was also a cut somewhere on her face or forehead and Katie could taste blood inside her mouth. The coppery tang of it made her nauseous.

Her pack was near where she woke up and there was a fresh water bottle in the outside pocket. The guys on her team were always sticking them in there when she wasn't looking. She cracked the seal and swished a tiny amount around in her mouth before spitting it into the dirt. Then, she drank deeply and recapped the bottle.

The man on the other side of the cave moaned, startling her and almost making Katie drop the water bottle. Some of it splashed the back of her hand. Against her better judgement, she crossed the distance between them, but jumped back as the man rolled over.

'Fuck!' her brain gasped. That wasn't a man; it was a Goa'uld System Lord.

Lord Ba'al.

Katie had seen pictures of all the System Lord the SGC knew of. The Major quizzed her on them when she was assigned to his off-world team and first became his responsibility. He quizzed her on a lot of things, and to be honest, she never thought any of the stuff the Major taught her would actually come in handy.

Now, Dr. Brown was alone in a dark cave with Ba'al, and she had no idea how she got there or where the other members of her team were.

His eyes glowed and she felt herself take a couple of quick steps backward, muttering, "oh fuck."

He tried to pull himself into sitting position, but he didn't get far before he hissed in pain and lay back down on his back. "You, girl, come here."

Her mouth fell open and Katie shook her head vigorously. She wasn't prepared for the deep rumble of his voice, even if the strange Goa'uld reverberation missing for some reason. "No." She wasn't stupid. Who knew what he would do if she got closer?

His head turned slowly and the dark eyes regarded her. "No?"

"No." She stated it firmly and was proud her voice didn't break. To emphasize her point, she took another step in the opposite direction.

"I see." After a minute, he added, "I would appreciate it if you could point the light away from my eyes."

She looked down at the flashlight, and was mildly surprised to find she had it pointed at him like a weapon. Aside from a small belt knife multi-tool she used to cut plant her samples, it was the only potential weapon she carried. The idea of taking on a System Lord with a flashlight was laughable.

There were three military men on her team, and she knew how to use guns, they made her train with them, but she didn't carry one on her when she was in the fields. Guns were heavy and cumbersome. Katie needed her hands free to collect watched her back while she worked and she trusted them completely. They did their job well.

Sometimes, too well. They checked out all the guys she dated, scared off the ones that didn't meet with their approval and walked her to her car each night when she was working at the SGC. Sometimes, they smothered her with brotherly/fatherly overprotectiveness until she wanted to hit each of them with her flashlight. She hoped that once she was past the 'fucking new guy on the team' stage, they would back off a little, maybe.

Her last memory was cutting samples of what she was sure was the plant the Tok'ra had asked them to find. Standing in a huge, green field with the sun almost directly overhead, making sweat trickle down her back and sides.

Then, she woke up in the dark, with a bossy, injured System Lord.

This day really sucked.

Katie walked the perimeter of the cave and searched for possible exits. Fresh air was getting in from somewhere, she could feel a breeze caressing her face. Aiming the flashlight's beam at the ceiling she could see a small hole above where she fell. The ceiling sloped downward over the place where she woke up. It was much higher, like cathedral height, over where Ba'al had fallen through.

He was watching her with those nearly black eyes, and it was unnerving. She worried her lower lip with her teeth, a nervous habit, and tried to ignore him as she continued to look for a way out.

Her search took her within a few feet of Ba'al, and she didn't really want to talk to him, but the silence was awkward, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

Ba'al didn't seem to hear her at first, but after a minute he said, "Yes."

Katie was a sucker for animals, and aliens it seemed, in distress. "I may have morphine or something in my med kit. They keep those stocked for just about any emergency." She went to her pack and first pulled out her battery powered lantern and then the first aid kit.

It was a relief to have a source of light other than the bouncy beam of the flashlight. Her head was aching all over and the cut was throbbing in time to her heartbeat. Maybe she had a bit of a concussion, too.

Ba'al wasn't the only one having trouble with his eyes and the light.

There were two full syringes of morphine in the kit. She took one and closed the kit up, but as an afterthought, she took it with her when she went to kneel beside the injured Goa'uld.

"I'm going to try to help you. It would be bad manners to hurt someone who is just trying to help," Katie stated, eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. She looked down at the morphine and winced. "I'm not sure where to inject you with this," she confessed.

Ba'al's hand caught her wrist. "I'll do it."

That was just fine with her. In fact, the relief was almost overwhelming as she dropped the syringe into his palm. She was a closet needle-phobic. It was why she preferred longer missions, fewer post mission physicals meant fewer blood draws.

If the guys knew how she really felt about needles, they'd tease her mercilessly, so Dr. Brown kept it to herself.

Ba'al pulled the cap off the needle and stuck the thing rather roughly into his thigh and pushed the plunger down.

Katie winced and looked away. It was easy enough to busy herself with searching the first aid bag for the bottle of antiseptic and gauze pads. She wet a pad and lifted her hand to dab at the blood on Ba'al's forehead, but again he caught her wrist, stopping her.

"You have a cut on your head."

"So do you."

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Let me clean it up."

"That is unnecessary."

She frowned at him. "Someone will find us. I'm surprised they haven't already."

"My Jaffa will find us."

"How long have you been down here?"

Ba'al must have grown tired of looking up at her and attempted to sit up for a second time. It looked like it hurt very much to do even that. He made it to a sitting position, but something wasn't right. There were pain lines around his eyes and his skin was gray.

"You're really hurt. I'm a Doctor, but not the medical kind. I just study plants to find things we might be about to use for medicines and food."

He regarded her for a few minutes in silence. Not a chatty Cathy at all. "I have no way of knowing how long I have been here. I was drifting in and out of consciousness for some time before I heard you fall into the cave."

"You fell much further than I did."

He nodded.

She tried again with the gauze, and this time he let her dab at the scabbed over cut. So intent on her task, and trying to be gentle about it, she didn't notice Ba'al had taken one of the gauze pads from the packet and soaked it in solution until he touched his pad to her cut, mimicking her.

"Ouch, shit that hurts," she winced and jerked her head out of his reach.

He smirked.

"Fine," she grumbled, "let one of your hundreds of slaves wash the dirt out if you are so sure your people are going to find us first."

A muscle in his cheek twitched. "I will be dead before anyone gets here. They will find you."

"You're dying?"

"I am."

She gaped at him. Then it hit her that she would be alone in the cave with his corpse when the Jaffa came. "Will they think I killed you?"

"No."

"How can you be so sure?"

His hand stretched out toward her face, and she instinctively flinched. His long fingertips merely caressed her cheek, making the breath freeze in her chest.

"I will make certain they know you had nothing to do with my demise."

Now, Katie was confused, "how exactly do you plan to do that if you're dead?"

"This host is dying. The injuries are too severe for me to heal. I will need to move to another host."

There was only one possible replacement in the cave... her. She stared at him in disbelief. "You really don't want to take me as a host. I'm small, and not up to your obvious beauty standards... and a girl. You are a total misogynist."

"The situation is not ideal; I agree. It would only be for a short time. Until a more suitable host can be found. If I do not create a deep connection, there would be no lasting effects for you."

The young woman considered that. "Like the way the Tok'ra share a host body?"

The withering look he gave her said she'd said the wrong thing by mentioning the Tok'ra and making the comparison. "No. I do not share a body with the host. You would be essentially unconscious until I leave your body."

She glanced at the other side of the cave where her pack was. If she could get back to it, would it be far enough away from him? Or could he still get to her? His legs hadn't moved at all. Maybe they couldn't because of his injuries.

Ba'al knew what she was thinking. "I've been to Earth recently. What if I pay you for the use of your body? Tau'ri are very interested in gathering wealth, living in comfort. I will pay you one hundred thousand dollars for each Earth day I inhabit your body."

Her eyebrows went up in surprise. He wanted to rent her like an expensive sports car? What would the rental insurance rates be for a human body? What if he decided to take her body to Earth and screw an entire college football team?

"No. Nononono. I can't."

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "Afraid I will use your body for nefarious purposes?"

"Yes."

"At least, you are considering it."

"I'm an idiot to be considering it and I'm going to go home and have myself committed to a mental institution."

"If you are worried about pain, we will use the other injection of morphine. I can promise there will be no pain during the transition."

"That's not it."

His dark eyes were holding her captive. "Tell me your reservations. Name your terms. And we will... negotiate."

She winced, embarrassed that all her objections revolved around the fact that she was a virgin still. Another thing her team would tease her about. "Absolutely no sex."

His eyebrows raised, "why ever not? Do you not enjoy sex?"

"You are not allowed to have any kind of sex using my body."

Ba'al smirked in that annoying way again, "Are you an innocent? I would think at your age, in such a sexually obsessed culture..."

"Go to hell."

"I'm afraid your people destroyed Netu. Hell no longer exists for me to visit, and I must say I haven't missed it or Sokar. You did not answer my question. Are you a virgin?"

She glared draggers at him. "I am not having this conversation with you. Maybe I'm too busy with traveling to strange planets and getting stuck in caves with dying aliens to get laid."

"I see."

Now, she was fuming, because he was so infuriatingly smug. "Not that it is any of your business."

"I will see your body doesn't have a sexual experience while you are not able to participate."

Was that good enough? Did that mean once she was back in control she was fair game? She'd need to think about that and the little butterflies the idea started fluttering in her belly. "Why are you negotiating at all? You could just grab me and..." she waved a hand at him to indicate the whole changing host thing.

Ba'al shrugged, "I was considering the possibility, but you've been so... helpful and cooperative. It would be a shame for it to come to that when it could be achieved with more civility. And less damage to your body."

"I think this is a really bad idea," she whispered, feeling terrified but at the same time curious. She'd been awed by the Tok'ra who came to ask for their help with finding the healing herb it took her four planets to finally find.

"I believe dying is a worse idea, but you may have a point. There will be consequences for us both once rescue comes." He closed his eyes for a full minute and rocked slightly back and forth.

Katie almost used his distraction to get up and flee, but as she started to move, his eyes snapped open and did that creepy glow thing.

God, it was scary.

"It's time." Ba'al picked through the medical kit and selected the morphine. He uncapped it and removed the air bubbles like she had seen people do on medical tv shows.

Before she had time to resist, the needle slid into her forearm and soon there was a burning up her arm. She whimpered, and he drew her to him until her head rested against his chest. He lay back and pulled her down on top of him.

Lips brushed the top of her head and his hands held her shoulders in a firm grip. The body under her convulsed and she wanted to move, but couldn't. Even at death's door, he was strong.

There was a moment of pain and then blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

"I must say, Brother, this is an interesting look for you. I like it. Why don't you come to my chambers and we can see what this little host is like in bed."

Ba'al was tempted to hit the other Ba'al, and at any other time, he wouldn't have put up with the teasing. But he was just too tired from the effort it was taking to keep from completely bonding with the human female while slowly making repairs to the injuries she sustained falling into the lava cave. The most difficult was the concussion that left his vision slightly blurred and made his temples throb.

A fistfight would only add more damage for him to repair. "Is there a sarcophagus aboard this ship?" he asked wearily.

The clone regarded him and his lack of willingness to fight, and shrugged, "This isn't my ship."

"Well, then, we have nothing left to say." Ba'al stepped around the other man and continued on his way.

"You might want to bathe before you think about using the sarcophagus," the other said.

"Why?" Ba'al asked, "You obviously don't."

Rather than take offense, there was laughter at his back. He rounded a corner and came face to face with another 'brother', but this one had more silver in his hair. This was no clone, this was their creator.

It was strange, but he could swear he felt an echo of surprise that wasn't coming from him. Impossible. An unpleasant side effect of the head injury, perhaps.

"Well... well... well," the other man regarded him thoughtfully. "I believe you have the distinction of being the first of my clones to resort to taking a female as host in order to survive. Perhaps I shouldn't have left you so long on the Tau'ri homeworld."

Ba'al smiled, "Just wait until you get the bill."

"Bill?"

"I would suggest you find a new host for me as soon as possible. I'm paying the Tau'ri girl one hundred thousand American dollars a day to inhabit her."

The older man was genuinely surprised. "Paying her? Was your host suffering from extensive brain damage? Why would you pay for something when you could just take it for free?"

Ba'al shrugged, "It seemed to prudent thing to do at the time given the extent of the injuries to my body. If I scared her away, there was no way to physically go and get her with a broken back and two broken legs."

"I saw the injuries. I'm surprised you held on long enough for another human to blunder into the cave under that field."

Ba'al smiled, "I've always been rather lucky."

"That you have," the older Ba'al agreed. "The sarcophagus will be ready for you shortly. There is a room prepared and the servants are already waiting with a small meal."

"That is... appreciated."

His creator lifted a hand and cupped one of the female's small breasts. It was surprisingly sensitive. "I'm sure we can work something out." His thumb circled the nipple.

Again, Ba'al felt the cold jolt of shock from outside of himself. It was followed by a second faint echo of emotion, desire. He smiled and pushed the hand away from him, "I need a bath. And a few Jaffa to act as an escort. Kathryn is still a virgin and would very much like to remain untouched. I warned her it would not be an easy request to honor. You know how we feel about petite redheads. I've already encountered one of my brothers who showed an interest in copulating."

"All this bartering with a potential host intrigues me. We will speak more of it later. Speaking of later, I lost my First Prime in a battle recently and I'm having each of your brothers submit one of their Jaffa into a tournament to battle for the honor of replacing him. You are welcome to attend and watch with me."

Ba'al nodded, "I look forward to it."

"As do I."

They nodded to each other and he followed a Jaffa to his assigned room to eat and prepare for his time in the healing chamber.

Ba'al was surprised to find his seat at the tournament the next day was the place of honor beside their creator. Part of him was flattered, and the other part want to know what he'd done to warrant preferential treatment. Other than taking an attractive female host, of course.

It occurred to him that maybe the other man was feeling possessive over him, but he dismissed it. Seating him next to the throne meant he would have a front row seat for any drama the other clones might cause because of his appearance. His brothers would be in for an unpleasant surprise should they decide to take what he wasn't offering by force.

The first thing he did upon exiting the healing chamber last night was to test the strength and agility of this body. He was much smaller, and his blows would not be as powerful, but he was light and fast.

The young woman was used to exercise and difficult working conditions. She had more muscle on her small frame than he expected to find. It would come in handy should someone try to rape him.

The first two rounds resulted in clean deaths after only short fights. The third round was between two evenly matched Jaffa and went on for nearly an hour. The fourth pairing was a bloodbath. By the time there was a winner, gore covered the floor and the thick odor of blood and raw meat hung in the throne room.

Ba'al felt revulsion so strong it was impossible to ignore. His stomach churned and bile burned the back of his throat. His reaction was strong enough to catch his creator's attention. The man frowned at him, and Ba'al knew he had to get out of the room before he vomited.

Showing weakness of any sort was completely unacceptable. Especially with a half dozen or so clones, and twice that many Jaffa, in the room. All eyes were drawn to him as he stood.

Ba'al gave them a smile and said, "The smell of raw meat is making me hungry..." It was as good an excuse as any, and it proved to be the best one, because his brothers laughed and nodded their approval.

Once he was outside the throne room and away from curious eyes, he vomited up everything he'd consumed for breakfast. A slave passed a minute later and Ba'al stopped her. "Clean that up. Immediately."

In the safety of his quarters, Ba'al fumed. What was wrong with him? Why was he able to feel the girl's emotions like ghosts in the back of his mind? How was she even aware of the things he saw? Hosts were rendered unconscious. It had always been this way.

The door to his bedchamber slid open, revealing the older Ba'al.

Ba'al rolled his shoulders and widened his stance, preparing to fight. Having the most powerful Ba'al in his private chambers set his nerves on edge. His instincts screamed danger.

"The tournament has ended. I decided I liked that last Jaffa for his sheer bloodlust," the older man stated. He crossed the room in two strides and stood towering over Ba'al. "Are you having trouble with your host?"

"Of course not." Ba'al winced at his own defensiveness. "I was hungry."

The familiar face smiled, "After vomiting out your breakfast, I can imagine you are. Now."

"Is there a reason I should be worried about the host causing problems?"

Older Ba'al frowned and stuck a hand in his pocket. It came out with a vial of small, white pills. "This is a sedative. It will return the host to unconsciousness for three or four hours. Use them sparingly or they can cause damage to the brain."

"Why are you helping me?" Ba'al smiled, knowing it was the wrong question as soon as it left his mouth. "What do you get out of helping me?"

The man returned the smile and nodded his approval. "Better."

"I'm not having sex with you in the girl's body. The fine for returning her soiled is one million dollars in addition to what I have already agreed to pay." It was a lie, but he thought it might work.

That got the other man's attention. "Why would a female wish to remain untouched? Does she not understand the pleasure she is refusing?"

"I've been through all her memories and she has... issues with men. A childhood with an abusive father. A young male attempted to rape her during her school years as well." He added, "She has participated in sexual explorations with women since reaching maturity, but such things are frowned upon by the Tau'ri military."

The older Ba'al frowned, "I had hoped..."

"I had similar hopes. If you were to take Lt Col Carter as a host, we could be in bed right now."

That made them both laugh.

"I'm going to assign a pair of Jaffa to watch over you until your new host is ready."

Ba'al was mildly surprised, but he covered it well. "How long do you think it will be?" The question sounded casual and didn't betray the urgency he felt.

"Give me a few weeks, perhaps as long as a month. Until then, you are my guest on this ship and I will let your brothers think I have claimed your unusual host body for my own pleasures."

"That isn't necessary. I can fight my own battles. This body is small, but fast and surprisingly strong."

There was a moment of contemplation. "I can't wait to meet this little female," he smirked.

"I'm almost certain she will enjoy meeting you, too. I think I felt a little thrill the first time she saw you and realized you aren't a clone."

"One week and a few days."

The amended timeline amused him, because it was most likely the truth.

"The sooner the better." Ba'al winced at the Tau'ri phrase as it slipped off his tongue.

His creator smirked, "I left you on Earth too long. They've made you soft."

"I'm offended by the suggestion..."

"Good." The dark eyes regarded him for some time before the other man added, "What a shame the girl was mistreated as a child. Had she been raised on one of our worlds such a thing would not have happened."

Ba'al agreed. "If it did, he would have paid with his life for it. I'd like nothing better than to return to Earth and find those two men. And a few other people from her memories who should be punished."

"I have no objection, but I have a mission for you to complete first." At Ba'al's surprised expression, the older man sighed, "Two of your brothers are plotting against me. Your payment for the new clone body will be to execute them for me. The bloodier and more public, the more it will please me."

"I'm to make an example of them?"

"Yes."

"Consider it done."

They both smiled in complete agreement. Order was maintained by making an example of those who stepped out of line.

As it turned out, it was fifteen days until Ba'al was able to leave the body of the Tau'ri female for a new clone. There had been a moment or two of concern for her safety before the process began, but everything went smoothly. The transition was quick and both hosts were unconscious throughout thanks to the mysterious pills.

The first thing Ba'al did was go to the mirror and look at his face, relieved to find the familiar graying hair and dark stubble along his jaw.

Ba'al was back and he had a mission to complete and a female Tau'ri plant Doctor to seduce.

Kathryn, her given Tau'ri name which Ba'al preferred to the less formal 'Katie', was taken to his room to rest and recover with armed Jaffa outside the door. She was not a prisoner aboard their ship, but a guest. The servants would tend her as an honored guest and pamper her.

Ba'al planned to act quickly and take steps to keep his creator and brothers from seducing the girl while he was gone. He already knew what he needed to do. Deception was second nature to him and might anger the young woman, but her anger was a small price to pay for making her off limits.

The Tau'ri had a saying about all being fair in love and war, and while he would never admit to feelings for the girl, he did feel... protective. Living in her body made him feel responsible for her welfare even after he returned to the host body he preferred.

Kathryn would hate his interference in her life, but she wouldn't be able to stop it.


End file.
